People are now craving for a new breed of burger. They query the quality of the beef and whether the burger patties are hand pressed?

I’ve been keeping this recipe up my sleeve since last Summer, I feel its time to release it to the masses. If I had a penny for every burger recipe request, I’d be giving a lot more zakaat this year!!

So, if you own a gourmet burger joint, look away now and I apologise for the lack of customers in advance!

Welcome to the Gourmet burger revolution…. Haloodiefoodie style.

Burgers are made from beef!!

Use good quality Beef Mince

Real burgers are beef, not lamb, mutton or chicken. I’m aware that some may have a cultural aversion to beef, however if you want the best tasting burgers you’ll need the correct ingredients.

Use a good quality beef mince, 80:20% Beef mince to fat ratio. The fat keeps the burgers moist. Too much fat and the burgers will taste greasy and may even break up when cooking. I usually get the butcher to mince a steak (Chuck steak is best). Don’t settle for pre-minced Beef unless you have complete confidence in your butcher.

The best burger joints use 28+ day aged beef, which elevates the taste and texture of the patties. If you know a of a respectable halal butcher who dry ages beef. Please forward detail to me!

DO NOT WASH THE MEAT!!! It’s against the traditional teaching of Indian mothers but trust me you have to throw away the rule book for these wonderful tasting burgers!!!

Use wet hands to mould your patties.

HaloodieFoodie Gourmet Burger recipe

1 kg Beef mince 100g Brie

Using wet hands shaped into 5.5-6oz patties around 2cm thick with a piece of brie sandwiched in the middle.

That’s it!!! This recipe will give you the most moist, flavoursome burgers you’ll ever taste.

******************STOP PRESS*******************

Ok, I’m an Indian!! Mrs HaloodieFoodie refused to eat unwashed and unseasoned burger patties! Certain cultural, culinary attitudes seem to be innate. Here is the recipe for my indianified gourmet burgers, suitable for all indian palettes including my honourable parents.

Don’t mix too thoroughly. I think Mrs HaloodieFoodie added a few leaves of coriander when I wasn’t looking!

Lightly combine all the spices at least an hour before cooking. Don’t mix too thoroughly! You are making a burger and the texture is important, otherwise your burger patty structure will become more like a sausage or meat loaf.

Burger patty stuffed with brie.

Using wet hands shaped into 6oz patties around 2cm thick with a piece of brie sandwiched in the middle. This technique helps to cut through the meatiness of the beef. Remember to lightly pack the patties, you don’t want a dense patty structure. Place the patties on a tray and chill until its time to cook, don’t freeze!

The most observant of you will realise that the I have omitted salt! The patties are to be salted prior to searing. I cannot stress the importance of this step. It help ensure the structure and moisture of the burgers.

Cooking

Drizzle 3-4 tablespoon oil onto a griddle pan (or frying pan) and heat on medium until the oil starts to smoke slightly. Season first side with salt just before putting burgers onto the griddle pan and second side just before flipping the burgers. Listen for the sizzle. Cook for around 5 mins, check for a brown crust. This is caused when the protein is heated. Its called the maillard reaction and results in a slightly charred, smoky and caramelly taste..

Sear on a medium heat until a you get a delightful brown crust!

These burgers are quite delicate, therefore avoid temptation to flip. Flip only to change sides. DO NOT SQUEEZE!! We are trying to retain the moisture, please don’t force it out. The patties should be medium and should have a thin layer of pink in the middle. Don’t worry it’s cooked!! The pink/red juice is not blood!! Its the breakdown of the protein myoglobin. However, if you can’t resist double checking, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature has reached 60°C for medium and 65°C for medium well.

2 minutes before the end of searing add your cheese. Use whatever cheese you like. I personally prefer gouda because it melts well and has a subtle flavour. Rest your burgers for 2 mins while you heat up buns or any other accompaniments.

HaloodieFoodie Classic Burger, served gorgeously medium

Choice of Bun

Gourmet burgers are incomplete if the quality of the buns does not match the quality of the meat. Brioche is an enriched bread made with eggs and butter. It’s quite a durable bread which can stand the rigours of a big patty and multiple toppings. Sourcing brioche buns can be difficult. Try your local independent bakery. Those residing in East London can pre-order from Rinkoffs Bakery in Whitechapel.

Toppings

A burger is a blank canvas, you can add whatever you like. Dont be frugal!!!

All our burgers are served medium/rare to ensure a fantastically succulent beef patty and served with seasoned French fries, Tempura Gherkins with blue cheese dip, Onion rings, and a selection of house sauces.

15 Responses to Unravelling the Secret of the perfect Gourmet Burger.

Wow this is truly amazing! I cannot wait to try these. I agree with the Mrs, I don’t think I can only put brie in the meat! Do you find cooking a burger rare makes it more likely to fall apart? Great post keep up the good work!

Thank you for your positive comments. @sharmeen z. If use beef with the correct meat to fat ratio (80:20). The burgers remain firm… Don’t turn them too much! And salt just prior to cooking… This will ensure that the patties remain intact.

Hey man. I purchase my beef from Super Kebab in Dalston, I get them to mince the steaks but i’m not sure of the fat content and neither are they. Can you direct me? I purchase my burger buns from Spencers on Church Street (Brioche). Would appreciate your advice on the beef.

Thanks for taking the time out to read (and watch) the blog!
I’m from Stoke Newington and know Super (Kebab) Butchers well!

They would usually used leg of beef which is quite lean, I would ask the butcher to add 20% fat onto the lean beef. For example, I would ask for 200g of beef fat to be added to 1kg of Beef leg mince.
I hope this answers you question.

You can use crushed or pasted ginger and/or garlic or an equivalent amount of powder.
I mentioned in the video that the Caramelised Onion recipe was on snapchat on the day of the live broadcast, im sorry if you missed it!